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More in the style of informative advocacy event for the lecture circuit then a theatrical work,
Boots Brown Women's Chocolate Suede Ankle Hudson Triad Intrusion wanly tackles the subject of rape. “I set out to create a show that addresses the systemic problem of rape culture from an intellectual standpoint…” is how writer-performer Qurrat Ann Kadwani describes her solo play that was inspired by the 2012 fatal gang rape of Jyoti Singh in India. Ms. Kadwani’s intellectual approach is the problem. Instead of a raw depiction of the topic, this is a dry recitation.

The Exonerated was a 2002 long-running and award-winning powerful play told in the first person that was based on the stories of six people falsely convicted of capital crimes. In Intrusion, we’re bombarded by statistics, observations and opinions voiced by eight stock characters for an hour without drama.

The murky sci-fi conceit has the play taking place 20 years into the future where rape has been eradicated. The narrator periodically has trouble sleeping and to unwind sits outside on the stoop of her apartment building. One night she sees a woman lingering in front of the hospital across the street. Intrigued, she follows her in and learns that she has been raped. This leads the narrator on a path of discovery though the futuristic element doesn’t add clarity or relevance to the examination.

We get the statements of a reporter, a prosecutor, a day trader, a psychologist, a politician, a student and a college professor. These cursory fictional figures are rendered by clichéd characteristic traits and they offer data on the subject. Kadwani’s treatment is not compelling and she sets an Anna Deavere Smith-type task for herself in portraying all of these people.

Even though Kadwani possesses an appealing stage presence, has a solid performance resume and exhibits talent, her multiple characterizations are rudimentary and do not elevate her thin material. She changes shirts, puts on different ties and takes eyeglasses on and off while altering her voice and physical attributes while making little impact.

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A native New Yorker, Darryl Reilly graduated from NYU with a BFA in Cinema Studies. For the Broadway League, (formerly The League of American Theatres and Producers) he developed, and for five years conducted their Broadway Open House Tours, which took visitors through The Theatre District and into several Broadway theaters. He contributed to Broadway Musicals Show by Show: Sixth Edition (Applause Books). Since 2013, he has reviewed theater, cabaret, and concerts for Theaterscene.net.